1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of printing a material. More particularly, the present invention is directed to provide a method permitting of decorating a wide range of materials with a multicolor design, text or pattern formed beforehand and consisting of an assembly of elementary forms, signs and/or symbols.
The method of this invention is applicable notable to the manufacture of flexible articles such as flags or upholstery hangings. However, this method may also be used for decorating other articles such as semi-rigid or rigid sheet material, for example paperboard, cardboard or metal sheets.
2. THE STATE OF THE ART
Various methods of decorating miscellaneous materials have already been proposed which permit of reproducing any desired multicolor design on the material to be printed. In fact, printing methods such as serigraphy or other known methods such as the so-called sublistatic processes consisting in transferring to a material by the combined action of heat and pressure a multicolor design made beforehand on a temporary support from inks adapted to be transferred by sublimation are already known in the art.
However, in this last case the multicolor backgrounds are obtained beforehand by using various known printing methods. As a rule, these impressions are made in great numbers acccording to well-defined and fixed characteristics, colors and designs.
Therefore, these methods are either awkward to carry out, notably in the case of serigraphy which involves the use of various serigraphic frames constituting separate masks for each color to be deposited, the frame size depending on the designs to be obtained, or requiring the printing of a relatively great number of prints for amortizing costs and making the preliminary printing of designs or patterns with sublimable inks pay for itself.
It must be understood that the printing process must be easy to use and adapted to a number of copies to be made. The process of the present invention is suited both to large and small series. This is notably the case when printing upholstery textile material such as hangings and in the manufacture of flags, banners or the like. Experience teaches that in this specific field conventional techniques are scarcely advantageous and rather ill-suited for the purpose.
On the other hand, in the manufacture of flags or similar articles well-defined properties are required. In fact, the appearance must be spotless and light-weight materials are preferred to warrant a satisfactory waving in the wind. Besides a good strength is necessary for both the material and the printing.
Moreover, other problems associated with quality requirements arise due on the one hand to the number of different important designs and on the other hand to the manufacture of relatively small series of articles. In addition, these articles are manufactured in a relatively wide range of shapes and sizes.
These contradictory requirements prove that conventional or hitherto known methods are not capable of providing a satisfactory compromise so as to meet all of them. In fact, in the case of serigraphy a relative great number of frames adapted for each type of flag and to each flag size must be available, so that manufacturers are confronted with difficult problems concerning the cost and storage of the frames.
On the other hand, though the sublistatic printing method has some very attractive features, its adaptability and flexibility are so far not sufficient for obtaining different multicolor patterns or designs as required.
It is for this reasons that many flags are still made of an assembly or patchwork of sewn and embroidered textile elements. This type of manufacture, though irreproachable, is objectionable on account of its excessive cost. Now in the present state of the trade, there is an increasing demand for flags or like articles notably for transmitting advertising messages, and therefore it is absolutely necessary to facilitate the manufacture of flags or the like and to reduce their cost.